New Marine Corps helicopters begin evaluation period

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By Christopher P. Cavas
Special to the Times

A six-month operational evaluation (OPEVAL) period is set to begin in California for two Marine Corps helicopter programs intended to produce 280 new and upgraded helicopters.

Two AH-1Z Super Cobra and two UH-1Y Huey helicopters departed the Naval Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent, Md., on May 9, headed to China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, Calif., where the testing will be carried out.

The AH-1Z and UH-1Y are being produced by Bell Helicopter Textron to replace the current fleet of AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters and UH-1N utility helicopters.

“Over the next six months, these aircraft will demonstrate and validate the significant improvements that have been made to make them more valuable to the Marines,” Bell Helicopter Chief Executive Michael Redenbaugh said in a Naval Air Systems Command news release.

A successful OPEVAL should lead to Pentagon approval for the new aircraft to enter low-rate initial production. If approved, the aircraft should attain initial operational capability in 2008.

The Navy is ordering 10 H-1s under the fiscal 2006 budget and has requested 18 of both types in the 2007 budget.

Bell is upgrading existing AH-1W and UH-1N aircraft to the Z and Y standards. Among the major changes are new rotor systems to replace two-blade rotors with four-blade main and tail rotors, an upgraded drive system and landing gear and pylon structural modifications.

According to the Navy, the upgrades are intended to resolve existing safety issues in both aircraft, significantly enhance combat capability and reduce life-cycle costs. The changes are extensive enough to begin counting anew the number of flight hours on each air frame.